News

Andrew Conant from ORNL's nuclear nonproliferation division is collaborating with national laboratories to analyze isotopes generated in nuclear reactors. This research aims to glean insights into the operations and objectives of these reactors. ORNL, renowned for its leadership in nuclear research, maintains its legacy by promoting the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy worldwide.

An Oak Ridge National Laboratory team revealed how chemical species form in a highly reactive molten salt mixture of aluminum chloride and potassium chloride by unraveling vibrational signatures and observing ion exchanges. 

Sara Martinez ensures the safety and longevity of aging structures at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, employing her engineering expertise to protect against natural disasters and extend the lifespan of critical facilities.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed free data sets to estimate how much energy any building in the contiguous U.S. will use in 2100. These data sets provide planners a way to anticipate future energy needs as the climate changes.

Four ORNL scientists started their professional careers as staff scientists in the Distinguished Staff Fellowship program, a highly competitive, prestigious program for young scientists to begin a lifetime vocation in research at the lab.

Today, scientific discovery is accelerated by automated experiments, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. A novel tool developed at ORNL that leverages those technologies has demonstrated that AI can influence materials synthesis and conduct associated experiments without human supervision. 

The United States has enough biomass potential to produce 35 billion gallons per year of aviation biofuel by 2050, a new report confirms. ORNL’s John Field provided biomass feedstock production expertise to the report focused on the role of the bioeconomy in U.S. decarbonization strategies. 

Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists ingeniously created a sustainable, soft material by combining rubber with woody reinforcements and incorporating “smart” linkages between the components that unlock on demand.

Early career scientist Frankie White's was part of two major isotope projects at the same time he was preparing to be a father. As co-lead on a team that achieved the first synthesis and characterization of a radium compound using single crystal X-ray diffraction and part of a team that characterized the properties of promethium, White reflects on the life-changing timeline at work, and at home. 

John Lagergren, a staff scientist in Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Plant Systems Biology group, is using his expertise in applied math and machine learning to develop neural networks to quickly analyze the vast amounts of data on plant traits amassed at ORNL’s Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory.